Conclusion on the Implementation of the EU's Biodiversity Strategy

Ministers declared "that a co-ordinated and streamlined approach is needed for the implementation of the strategy". The aim is to meet the EU's headline target, defined as "halting the loss of biodiversity and the degradation of ecosystem services […] and restoring them in so far as feasible" and endorsed by the European Council on 26 March 2010. The Council also called on the Commission and the Member States to integrate and mainstream biodiversity targets in the development and implementation of all relevant EU and national sectoral policies.

Meeting the targets of the United Nations Decade on Biodiversity will constitute an important step towards honouring the global commitment on biodiversity outlined in the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity and the Aichi Biodiversity targets resulting from the Conference of the Parties to the Biodiversity Convention in Nagoya in October 2010.

The Commission is expected to report on progress in relation to the common implementation framework in early 2012.